About The Patrick John Higgins Academic Center
As a center for teaching and learning, the Higgins Academic Center (the HAC) serves as a repository, clearinghouse, and sponsor for resources and programming on professional teaching techniques, academic strategies, and other research-based educational resources. Support to students and faculty is available in all areas of Instruction, as well as in Writing across the Curriculum, Speaking across the Curriculum, and Instructional Technology. Tutoring and mentoring services are offered to promote academic excellence and to provide individualized academic support to all students at the College.
The HAC's Founding and Growth Over the Years
Named in memory of Patrick John Higgins, a 1990 alumnus of Randolph-Macon College, the Higgins Academic Center was officially dedicated on October 14, 1995. Because of Patrick's struggle with dyslexia during college, family and friends agreed to provide academic support services through the Patrick John Higgins Memorial Fund. The fund supports services for students registered with the office of Disability Support Services and helps the Higgins Academic Center facilitate community acceptance and understanding of individuals with disabilities.
In its early years, the HAC was a part of the Dean of Students' Office's student support services. At that time, it consisted of two main areas: instruction and disability support. But, in 2002, the HAC became a part of Academic Affairs, reflecting the College's central mission and commitment to teaching and learning and the HAC's role in assisting students and faculty to meet this mission. Today, more than half of the student body visits the HAC in any given year, and the Center holds workshops and briefings for students and faculty, and logs more than 3,500 individual appointments with students.
Helping Students to Achieve their Full Potential
The HAC's student resources are abundant: there is a Writing Center and a Speaking Center, as well as tutoring available to support nearly all majors and minors at the College. Students can also get help with using the latest technology in their course work by visiting the Instructional Technology office. Peer and professional tutoring is free to all students in most academic subject areas. It can be received either during drop-in hours or by appointment. Whenever possible, Supplemental Instruction (SI) is provided for freshmen mathematics courses. Outstanding math majors on the HAC tutoring staff attend classes with the freshmen and provide out of class review sessions and individual tutoring.
In addition, peer and professional mentoring is free to all students who request it. Mentors work individually with students to assist them with study strategies, time management, strategies for preparing for and taking tests, note taking, effective reading skills and other areas of effective learning. Mentors also guide students toward appropriate campus resources, assist in the design of individualized learning contracts and act as liaisons between students and faculty. Mentors assist in planning and conducting skills workshops for classes, organizations and residence halls. Supervised Study Hall is also available.
Finally, the College's Office of Disability Support Services is also housed in the HAC. This office works closely with students who have been diagnosed with a physical, psychological, or learning difference (including temporary physical impairments, such as broken arms and legs, concussions, and other acute illnesses) to ensure that they are provided with reasonable accommodations to support them in their academic, social, and residential lives on campus.
Macon Academic Progress (MAP) and Early MAP The HAC also manages two early support programs for first year students. Macon Academic Progress (MAP) is an academic partnership for first year students who receive two or more unsatisfactory grades at the mid-term of the fall semester. MAP students are required to fulfill the requirements of an individualized learning contract that includes weekly meetings with a trained mentor, regular tutoring appointments, skills workshops, and other services deemed appropriate for the student. MAP students who take the program seriously and who meet the terms of their individual learning contracts can expect to improve their grades, on average, by a full letter grade. The second early support program available through the Higgins Academic Center is Early MAP. In this program, first-year and transfer students whose Admissions profiles suggest they might benefit from priority access to academic support services are paired with a mentor from the time that they arrive on campus at the start of their first years. The Early MAP program is supported by a generous grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Religious, Charitable, and Educational Trust.
The HAC Directors also work closely with other academic and student support services staff through partnerships with the Dean of Students Office, the College's Counseling Center, the Health Center, and the Butler Multimedia Learning Laboratory (located in Haley Hall).
Supporting Faculty Teaching and Research
The HAC also strives to support faculty research and teaching. The directors of each of the five areas (instruction, speaking, instructional technology, disability support, and the writing center) are available to consult with faculty upon request. In addition, each director periodically schedules faculty development workshops on topics of broad concern. The Director of Instructional Technology provides an annual "Tech Talk" during each January Term break week to share the latest in instructional technologies with the faculty. All directors cultivate collaborative relationships with faculty and other college officials to enable them to serve the cause of teaching and learnng effectively. The HAC also maintains a small resource library of materials relating to teaching and learning that faculty members are encouraged to consult for teaching tips, pedagogical design recommendations, and information concerning best practices in teaching and learning.